On the verge of creating synthetic life

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"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" Craig Venter asks. His answer is "yes" — and pretty soon. He walks through his latest research and promises that we'll soon be able to build and boot up a synthetic chromosome.

In 2001, Craig Venter made headlines for sequencing the human genome. In 2003, he started mapping the ocean's biodiversity. And now he's created the first synthetic lifeforms — microorganisms that can produce alternative fuels.
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